Variable valve timing solenoid

Truck Yeah The trucks are good! The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado is the only full-size pickup in America offered with a four-cylinder engine. But it’s not your old S10's Iron Duke under the hood—no, this 2.7-liter turbo is sophisticated, employing some cool modern technologies that help it produce more power than most naturally aspirated V6s, while still managing okay fuel economy. I didn’t have a long time to speak with Chevy about their Silverado’s 2.7-liter engine, since I was there reviewing two trucks in a single day (the Silverado and the ZR2 Bison), but the 2.7-liter turbo’s assistant chief engineer, Kevin Luchansky, did agree to walk me through the engine’s coolest bits, and I wasn’t about to deprive readers from the hardware you all deserve to see. The upshot is that this thing’s got lots of advanced fuel-savings technology bolted to it. Things like a 600-Watt electric water pump, whose output is—unlike a conventional … [Read more...] about Here’s a Close-Up Look at the 2019 Chevy Silverado’s Four Cylinder Engine

You are here: Home » Blogs » Blogs » Richard Truett Technology and Engineering reporter Email Subscribe to RSS September 11, 2018 @ 11:57 am Comments Email Schaeffler's eRocker uses an electronic solenoid that pushes on the end of the camshaft to change the valve opening events. Photo credit: SCHAEFFLER DETROIT -- Despite current efforts to revisit light-vehicle fuel economy standards enacted during the Obama administration, there have been no changes to the law, and there might not be for years, as the wheels of government bureaucracy spin slowly and legal challenges play out. For automakers, that means it's business as usual, for now, in continuing to meet the stringent rule on the books -- an average 46.7 mpg across an automaker's fleet by 2025. And so last week in Detroit, Germany's Schaeffler Group rented the conference center of a casino here and invited hundreds of engineers … [Read more...] about Schaeffler group advances the art of the valvetrain

Parts arriving broken or weeks late. Horrible customer service. An office where employees were spied on with cameras. These are just a few complaints from former employees and from hundreds of car enthusiasts who have done business with major Euro auto parts supplier ECS Tuning. With the company having recently bought another giant in the industry, Pelican Parts, an entire car community now worries that it’ll be forced to contend with a dysfunctional retailer just to keep vehicles on the road. “ECS is the Comcast of German car parts,” a post by a member named Logan Carey reads on the 5,800 member-strong Facebook page titled “Why I Hate ECS Tuning.” With 136,000 Instagram followers, ECS is a big name in the European car community, especially online. But as much as the internet has helped ECS expand, so, too, has it bitten back. The Comcast comparison is just one of many posts written by apparent ECS customers displeased with the company, which opened its … [Read more...] about Spying on Employees, Screwing Buyers: What Went Wrong at One of America’s Biggest Euro Parts Companies

Oil is the life blood of an engine, and this is especially true of the Fiat 500 Abarth's MultiAir engine. With its MultiAir valvetrain technology, the sophisticated engine is a marvel of engineering and ingenuity. The intake valves are operated by electro-hydraulic solenoids giving the engine infinitely variable valve timing -stroke by stroke - cylinder by cylinder. The engine is tuned to deliver maximum fun to drive characteristics meaning great low end torque along with substantial high rpm horsepower. This is done while achieving excellent fuel economy and the required low emissions. The proof is the Fiat 500 Abarth's engine has a specific power output of 117 bhp/L, beating the 114 bhp/L for the Mazda Speed 2, 113 bhp/L for the MINI S and 100 bhp/L in the VW GTI and still manages to be the most fuel efficient performance car available in the US. Surprisingly, maintenance on the high performance Fiat 500 Abarth engine is kept to a minimum: oil and filter changes every 6 months or … [Read more...] about Fiat 500 Abarth Oil Change

Overview Launched way back in 2008, the Yamaha YZF-R15 captured the hearts of hardcore track tamers and casual performance enthusiasts alike. It was the first 150 cc motorcycle in the Indian market to feature advanced features like liquid cooling, fully faired bodywork with the design drawing inspiration from its litre-class brother, the R1. The R15’s pizzazz and peppy performance allured many young customers to add one to their garage. Sure, the price went north of a lakh or so rupees, but it was an irresistibly affordable package that one could lay their hands on in the market. There was a lull after the Version 2.0 for a long time, and rival brands surfaced with better propositions over the subsequent years. In a bid to fend off the competition, the Japanese auto giant finally brought the Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0 to India at this year’s Auto Expo. So, is the v3.0 still relevant in the market that is performance-hungry yet value-centric? Read on to know the answer. Design The … [Read more...] about Yamaha YZF-R15 v3.0